Niagara Falls

History

Before Europeans entered the area, it was dominated by the Neutral Nation of Native Americans. European migration into the area began in the 17th century. The first recorded European to visit the area was Frenchman Robert de la Salle, who built Fort Conti at the mouth of the Niagara River early in 1679, with permission from the Iroquois, as a base for boatbuilding; his ship Le Griffon was built on the upper Niagara River at or near Cayuga Creek in the same year. He was accompanied by Belgian priest Louis Hennepin, who was the first known European to see the falls. The influx of newcomers may have been a catalyst for already hostile native tribes to turn to open warfare in competition for the fur trade. The City of Niagara Falls was incorporated on March 17, 1892, from the villages of Manchester and Suspension Bridge, which were parts of the Town of Niagara. Thomas Vincent Welch, a member of the charter committee and a New York state assemblyman and a second-generation Irish American, persuaded Governor Roswell P. Flower to sign the bill on Saint Patrick's Day. George W. Wright was elected the first mayor of Niagara Falls. By the end of the 19th century, the city was heavily industrialized, due in part to the power potential offered by the Niagara River. Tourism was considered a secondary niche, while manufacturing of petrochemicals, abrasives, metallurgical products and other materials was the main producer of jobs and attracted a large number of workers, many of whom were immigrants. In 1927, the city annexed the village of La Salle, named for Robert de la Salle, from the Town of Niagara. Industry and tourism grew steadily throughout the first half of the 20th century due to a high demand for industrial products and the increased mobility of people to travel.…

Geography

Niagara Falls is at the international boundary between the United States and Canada. The city is within the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area and is approximately from Buffalo, New York. The city has an area of , of which (83.43%) is land and (16.57%) is water. The city is built along the Niagara Falls and the Niagara Gorge, which is next to the Niagara River. Niagara Falls has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb under the Köppen climate classification, Dca/Dcb under Trewartha). Different weather stations show that some parts of the city have a hemiboreal climate with average summer temperatures slightly under 22 °C, and others with a hot-summer continental climate with slightly hotter summers. The city has cold, snowy winters and very warm, humid summers. Precipitation is moderate and consistent in all seasons, falling equally or more as snow during the winter. The hottest and coldest temperatures recorded in the decade to 2015 were in 2005 and in 2003, respectively. * Buffalo Avenue – runs along the south end along the Niagara River once home to a vast number of old families with architecturally significant mansions; further east (past John Daly Boulevard) the street is surrounded by a number of industrial sites to 56th Street before returning to a residential area and ending at the Love Canal area at 102nd Street. * Central District * Deveaux – Located in the northwestern corner (west of the North End) along the Niagara River is residential area built in the 1920s to 1940s. Named for Judge Samuel DeVeaux who left his estate to be established as the Deveaux College for Orphans and Destitute Children in 1853 (closed 1971), now the site of DeVeaux Woods State Park and DeVeaux School Historical District. * Downtown – Area around the Falls and home to…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  30,149
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  30,052
• Ring-billed Gull

  Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 · Aves
  29,484
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,230
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  27,679
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,679
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  23,347
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  22,370

Largest nearby schools

• NIAGARA FALLS HIGH SCHOOL
  High · NIAGARA FALLS · 2,139 students · 16:1 ratio
• NIAGARA-WHEATFIELD SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · SANBORN · 1,092 students · 13:1 ratio
• NORTH TONAWANDA HIGH SCHOOL
  High · NORTH TONAWANDA · 1,001 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• EDWARD TOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · SANBORN · 736 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• NORTH TONAWANDA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
  Middle · NORTH TONAWANDA · 720 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• HARRY F ABATE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · NIAGARA FALLS · 695 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• LEWISTON PORTER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · YOUNGSTOWN · 616 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• CATARACT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · NIAGARA FALLS · 531 students · 15.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2023-02-06
  1 km NE of West Seneca, New York
• M 2.6 — 2022-03-15
  5 km SSW of Warsaw, New York
• M 2.6 — 2020-03-29
  11 km N of Lyndonville, New York
• M 3 — 2018-05-08
  14 km SSE of Ajax, Canada
• M 2.52 — 2017-07-11
  11 km NNW of Barker, New York
• M 2.46 — 2014-02-13
  34 km N of Lyndonville, New York